From Another View
by kurowolf
Summary: Different points of view before Penny's rescue.
1. Chapter 1

A low, guttural growl escapes my brother as he slowly makes his way through the dense muck of the swamp. Large tail swinging slightly, he gives himself a gentle push into the water, allowing the cool liquid to help quell his anger.

"There is no need to be so snappy," I respond, perfectly content.

Nero, my hotheaded brother barely holds back a snap. "She escaped _again,_" he growls, obviously displeased with the bumbling fool, Snoops. "How many times must that girl run before realizing there is no hope?"

I lick my large snout in thought. "You should know by now how odd humans are," I respond, giving myself a bit more speed in the water to get in front of my brother. "Just look at that idiot Medusa keeps around."

Nero, thinking of the fat man, snorts. "It should be him out here in the cold, searching for the little brat."

I give no answer to this.

Nero narrows his eyes at me. "And yet not a single complaint from you," he says, almost softly. "Don't tell me you're actually pleased with the situation, Brutus."

I give a sinister grin. "I may be growing tired of this swamp, but I never grow tired of the hunt, brother. There was nothing but small rodents before that girl arrived. I need at least a little entertainment in my life."

"Even if we can't eat her?" Nero asks with amusement.

"You should know by now humans don't taste good," I chide, ignoring the toothy grin Nero shoots me.

He gave a snort. "I suppose you may be right," he allowed, "a good hunt is always worth it, even if we must go after the same prey." His yellow eyes narrow as he gazes through the dense fog, snout gently pushing away the various plants that grew like thick weeds in the water. "And what have you, brother, there lies our prey."

I look in the direction his snout is pointing, toothy grin widening enough to allow water to seep into my mouth. Soon that will be replaced with large, juicy meat that is always rewarded to us for returning her to the large host ship that our mistress and her bumbling partner call home.

"Lets scare her a bit first." Nero has that devilish look on his face as he says that, more in the mood now that the girl is in his sight.

He blinks at the girl, watching as she trips over an oversized root into the mush of the swamp, soaking herself even further. She gives out a loud yell of shock before clamping her mouth shut; eyes going wide as she looks around. We lower ourselves deeper into the water, eyes nothing more than slits. We are completely hidden from view.

The girl, Penny, sighs in relief as she stands a bit tentatively, still looking around but deciding she is safe for the moment. With a look of disgust at her mud and water soaked dress and stockings she heads on, creeping with a slight hunch that would surely hide herself from an oak like Snoops or even my Mistress. What a fun little girl.

"Go on," I urge my brother, licking my maws eagerly. He was already gone, the water swirling as his bulk sinks deep, and only my keen eyes can watch the slight movement the water makes as he swam closer and closer toward Penny.

Penny herself stiffened once more, turning back to look at the water suspiciously as the tide shifted from Nero. Her eyes darted all over, trying to see something that was out of place but it was too dark for her human eyes to truly see too much detail in the murky swamp though I did have to give her credit for being a lot more alert than others of her kind.

Tail waving slowly I too gained momentum, spiky snout and eyes still above water. It sent ripples through the water but I paid no mind to the disturbance it created even though I knew the girl would take notice. I wanted to watch; my brother had the surprise attack covered and I would just scoop the girl up.

I gave a loud grumble. The noise was enough to silence any animal foolish enough to be close to this place and, more importantly, alert the girl to my presence. As thought her head swiveled in my direction, blond damp hair clinging to her forehead and over her eyes, nearly obscuring her vision but she had seen enough.

With a loud "Eep!" she turned and fled, dress flailing behind and teddy bear clutched close to her chest. She moved fast on land, but unfortunately for her this was the swamp and land was few and hard land was fewer. Everything was a thing of mush and mud. Her feet sank into the deep gunk as she scrambled forward and away from me. I followed easily, swimming swiftly in an arc around the bit of land that Penny was running on.

Her head turned to see where I was, expression set in a glare, and that was what I liked about her. Even if I enjoyed catching her and watching her get punished I enjoyed her spirit. "Go away!" she screamed, voice breathless. She turned away again to take in where she was, only to falter as she realized she had run too close to the water. She came to a stumbling stop with a surprised squeak, nearly falling over herself and that's when my brother struck.

With a loud roar Nero burst from the water like the devil himself. Yellow eyes wide with delight and sharp toothed mouth wide open he let out a series of rumbled laughter that sent critters running. Penny she gave a loud shriek, arms waving as she was sent tripping from the shock. She landed with a loud groan only to scramble away just before Nero's teeth sank into her clothes. He gave a disdainful snort, miffed that he had missed.

"Leave me alone, Nero!" she barked. She had always seemed to know the difference between the two of us and it gave both me and my brother delight that she knew who it was that caught her. "I'm not going back!" she continued to scream, still scrambling back, limbs going all over as she crawled away like a spooked animal.

This time it was me that gave off the rumbling laughter as she crawled backwards and right into my waiting jaws. With another yell of shock and rage from the young girl my jaws clamped shut like a bear trap. With a happy snort through my nose I lifted her high, bouncing her a bit by her blue dress.

She shook her head from the shock, bewildered for but a moment before tossing and turning in my grip. "Let me down you stupid lizard!" The comment only gained laughter from me and my brother. Nero waddled forward, teddy bear clutched in his teeth already. We had learned early on that her screams could deafen anything if we left the stuffed item behind.

Penny moved around a bit more, turning about as much as she could to glare up at us. "Why did you have to go and spoil everything?" she huffed, brushing wet hair out of her face to better glare at us. "Nero, don't you dark get my teddy bear wet," she continued, igniting more chuckles. Nero and I shared a look of amusement before, with another sharp jerk on her clothes and away from her beloved teddy; we strode forward into the water.

We fell in with a light splash and swam forward, my jaw held high. Penny couldn't hold her breath for too long and with her above she moved bushes aside. Not for my benefit of course but just so she wasn't hit in the face by the annoying weeds. She continued to thrash as much as she could but in water her movement were slow and constrained.

"You-you stop it, Brutus!" she yelped, coughing after I had taken us under for a brief moment to avoid a low branch.

I snorted, looking down at her condescendingly as we made it to land, grin as wide as ever. With the boat, her jail, in sight she thrashed even more, exclamations of anger being shouted loud enough for Snoops to apparently appear because his fat image was visible near the entrance. He squinted, trying to make us out and again I snorted in mockery. Penny, still thrashing, finally managed a good turn when I lowered my jaw just a bit. Her fist went flying, slamming hard into my nose.

Nero gave a deep rumble of laughter as I dropped her in shock. It hadn't hurt but it had been surprising. "Problems, brother?" he sneered in mockery, stilling laughing.

I growled warningly, tail lashing out and slapping the young girl before she could even make it to her feet. She snarled and coughed from her position in the small puddle and tried to kick out. Easily I avoided her skinny little legs and bent down, jaws clamping down on the seat of her pants and lifting.

Penny yelped in shock, world literally turning as her head and arms faced downwards. She gapped for a moment, dress sliding down and covering her view. With a muffled shriek of anger she thrashed about once more.

"Looks like your tiny arms can't reach now," I growled to her as she tried to reach at me. Even if her fists did manage to hit my chest it would do nothing against the rock hard hide. With another chortle we strode forward, Penny bouncing by her pants in my grip and legs no longer having a good momentum to swing out at me.

Snoops finally came fully out, lantern in hand and laughing at the display. "Take her right on in, boys!" he laughed loudly, gesturing us through the doors as if we didn't know the way, Penny glaring the whole way. "Heh heh, come on!"

I passed the fat man without a glance, jaw shifting in order to swing Penny around just before we entered so that she could see the entrance rather than gaze out at the swamp. "You're too easy," I grumble to her cruelly, clothes making my voice a bit muffled. "This will always be the sight you return to."

Penny didn't say anything. Her dress had once again slid over her head, muffling any exclamations that she might have had and my stride was to strong for her to move about aggressively. All she could do was be bobbed up and down, legs bent and bouncing and stretching into different positions from the forced movement before I slowed to a stop.

Penny shuffled a bit, head peaking out from under her dress sulkily as Snoops scuffled forward with that obnoxious laugh of his and leaned down mockingly to get a good look at the girl. "So you tried to run away, huh?" he asked as if he were the one to catch the girl. "Well it didn't work, did it?" He continued to laugh mockingly but Penny was barely listening.

She got her groundings and turning her little body upward as far as she could to glare. "Put me down, Brutus!" she screamed, now finally thrashing about with enthusiasm, legs and fists swinging all over. With a mocking look my jaws lifted, easily dropping her to the ground where she fell with an "Oomph!" Grumbling she rubbed at her head, giving me a disdainful look. "Creepy old dragon."

As always her words bring about a round of chuckles from Nero and me, only for it to be ruined as Snoops strode over. "Good boy," he crooned, trying to act in charge. It was pitiful and degrading. Growls erupted from my throat, marching forward with several snaps of my jaws at the fat oaf. "Goo-goo-good boy! Do-do-dow-down boy!" He continued to yelp, crawling over the couch to get away like a coward.

Behind Penny made a comment and shot us a glare, prompting Snoops to regain the little bravery he had to intimidate her. "Teddy, teddy, teddy," he repeated, exasperated. "Boys, why don't you take this naughty little girl to her room." He pushed Penny towards us, my eyes following with amusement.

She broke away. "I can go by myself," she said, voice snooty at the bully of a man. "_Thank you." _With a huff she marched up the stairs and into her room, Nero and I watching her go with our chuckles following behind.

(X)

We were at the top of the little rock hill again. The one my mistress was so obsessed over and kept sending Penny down over and over. She always returned with little shiny rocks that never seemed to appease Mistress but there was nothing she could do but wait for the tide to go down and send the girl back down.

"Be ready to grab her," Mistress muttered to us, pacing. "Don't let her get away."

At the moment Penny was already down in the cavern, yelling to be let up. She was more afraid of enclosed space than of me, I thought with amusement as I watched the fat Snoops huff and puff as he pulled at the rope.

"Faster!" Mistress snapped at her partner, gesturing wildly and peering down the tiny hole. "Faster, faster!"

"I'm going as fast I can," Snoops wheezed, continuing to pull as fast as he could. Slowly, two little hands appeared through the hole holding a large, shiny rock that Mistress swiped away faster than a cat catching a mouse.

Her sigh of happiness was loud and final. She had finally obtained what she had been searching for. "At last," her voice was breathy from excitement, "the Devil's Eye!" She held up the sparkling gem, laughter echoing as she gazed lovingly up at it before lowering it to her chest possessively.

"It's worth millions!" Snoops gasped, jumping forward, raising Penny even higher from the small bucket in his forgetfulness. She gazed down fearfully, clutching tightly at the rope.

"Just look at it," Mistress breathed, eyes still wide and ignoring Snoops trying to peer over her shoulder. "_Filled_ with absolute power for its owner."

Lee-lemme look at it!" Snoops said excitedly, all but reaching over the taller woman's shoulder. She glared acidly before, exasperatedly, flicked her hands toward him and back, hiding it from view once more. Huffing, he complained, "Hey, that wasn't a very good look." He finally released the rope in his hand and tried to reach for it.

With a startled scream Penny finally fell down to earth, arms and legs clutching at the sides of the hole. She scrambled a bit, nearly falling into the cavern she feared to much. She glanced down into the darkness with a fearful expression.

At that moment Nero's tail reached over to wrap around her middle and toss her to the ground. Her eyes were wide and mouth was gapping from surprise as she was brought to the ground. Mistress wasn't in the mood for playfulness or allowing us a chase so to make it easy to handle I simply reached down and grasped Penny by her undergarment.

Her hands grasped at the ground as I raised her high, neck out and up. She was too far off the ground to grab for things and too far to scratch at my neck like an irritating bug. While right side up she could prove to be a little bothersome and Mistress didn't want any distractions at the moment so this was the easiest and by the far the best way to get angry reactions from her.

"There's enough there for two equal shares!" I heard Snoops continue. He was staring wide eyed at the gem. Mistress held out her foot in disgust, keeping the fat coward away as his arms reached out.

"You idiot, cut up a perfect gem?" Mistress sneered. "And it's mine, all mine," she all but sang, voice still breathy as she marched away, completely ignoring Snoops snarling after her.

"Al-all yours!" he bellowed, stumbling after her and shaking his finger at her in anger. "Well half its mine you double crossing crook!"

With me Penny had begun her thrashing. She punched and kicked at the air in a gain for freedom, body spinning slightly and undergarments stretching and contracting so that she bounced in my grip. "Let me down, Brutus!" she yelled, pausing in her movements to look up at me and glare, little hands clenched in furious fists.

My eyes, having been wide with amusement at watching her struggle, narrowed down to slits. I jutted my jaw out – my usual mockery – which bounced her a bit to stop her punching and kicking. My brother gave an amused look and followed as I turned, following Mistress down towards the abandoned ship.

Penny continued to yell and struggle but with each bouncy step she got no momentum and could only swing from side to side. Her feet tried to stretch up several times to kick me in the nose but a simple shake sent them falling down to her chest. Penny huffed tiredly as another shake made her dizzy. Wearily the small girl tried to reach upward, fingers pulling at her undergarments.

I gave a hearty chuckle as I felt the material pull slightly in my mouth. "Silly girl," I told her, voice slightly muffled by the fabric. "You can't break anything from my grip."

I increased my pace and the force sent her little body bending back. Her stomach was now forced backwards and head bent down to stare at the ground with her blue dress draped over and covering her view from the road ahead. Her arms hung limply and her legs were bent from her upside position and only bounced to her sides or up and down with each step I took.

Penny continued to grumble as we got closer and closer to the broken boat with Mistress and Snoops still ahead arguing loudly. Her arms occasion flashed up in a small effort to hit me but my snout was too long and she too small. They were futile efforts but amusing none the less. I relish a good game and even if I have them I still like my prey to fight.

"Let me down!" Penny shrieked as I finally slowed, nearing our destination. I looked up, snout rising higher and swinging Penny back and forth by her undergarments. When her dress lifted away from her face from the swing I could make out that she was glaring at me before turning her attention on the ship and Mistress. "Give me my teddy!" she screamed, arms waving in the stuffed bear's direction. "Let me down, Brutus!" she yelled again.

I dutifully ignored her and trudged on, Nero close by my side and making snarky comments at the girl. He nudged her belly teasingly and she swiped at him. It missed and he roared with laughter, delighted in his teasing and her reaction

"Stop it, Nero!" she snapped, fingers curved like little claws as she swiped at my brother. I tightened my grip and gave her a little jolt. It bounced her up and down, much to my amusement. It stopped her swiping and I easily turned her about in my grip, feeling slightly sadistic as she huffed dizzily. Still, despite the treatment she snarled back.

"Nero, Brutus! Get over here!" our Mistress finally screeched at us. The large shotgun was in her grip, Snoops pressed up against the wall. Penny tried to raise her head from her awkward position, gazing longingly at her teddy bear.

With a snort I dropped the girl to the ground. She fell in a clump, limbs splayed awkwardly before she rolled over to glare up at me. "Stupid lizard," she moaned as she checked the new holes in her clothes.

"That's enough, boys. Go wait in the bayou," Mistress commanded as I nudged Penny forward. She rolled toward Snoops, protests dying as Mistress took it from there and shoved her against the wall. "Now," she hissed.

Annoyed and disappointed that we wouldn't see the show Nero and I left, teeth clacking and deep rumbles all the way as we went into the water, awaiting further instructions.


	2. Chapter 2

The first time she had been captured for running away had been her first day. Well, technically second, but she had slept through most of the first and through the night because Medusa had slipped a little something in her food to make her more manageable. The second day, once she woke up, had technically been her first because she got to see the bayou without foggy vision and a sleepy mind.

It was that second day, but technically her first, where Medusa had forced Penny down the hole. With barely two slices of toast finished the bossy obsessed woman had marched her through the mucky swamp, Mr. Snoops tailing behind like a timid but loyal dog. Yelling and screaming did nothing as the fat man all but lifted her into the tiny pale and lowered her in, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"We discussed this, Penny dear," Medusa crooned, her voice echoing in the tiny cavern as she stuck her head in to gaze down. "Just find me the diamond and we'll get you back home!"

Penny had huffed and wiped furiously at her tear stained face. Angrily, she searched as much as she could for the large diamond but all she could find were tiny little gems that would have been enough for anyone else, but not Medusa. The tide had risen quickly, soaking her shoes and stockings. It was only until she was in waist high cold water was she pulled back up, crying the whole time with her teddy clutched to her chest.

When they had returned to the broken down ship Penny had been given some food and a good shove towards her room, a firm "We'll be doing this everyday until you get it!" following in her wake. She had tiredly sat on the bed given to her as angry tears fell one by one. With an angry glare and a set expression Penny had waited until it was dark and late enough for even adults to be dead asleep.

Slowly, Penny crept through the large ship, nearly jumping out of her skin each time she made the floor boards creak. She would freeze, eyes wide and teddy clutched close as she waited for the fat form of Snoops or the dominating shadow of Medusa to jump out at her from the shadows. She held her breath for what felt like an eternity before slowly moving away once more swallowing in fear each time something creaked or something moved. Usually when something moved it was the boat shifting occasionally or the wind blowing through the numerous holes but it was enough to spook the poor girl.

When she had finally made it outside, feet planted in the mush that the swamp called land, she had turned around to glare at the boat and stick out her tongue. "Hah!" she had whispered before taking off into the fog filled swamp.

The place was filled with more weeds and mush than Penny had ever seen in her life. She had moved carefully, at first trying to keep her clothes from getting wet but after the first five minutes of walking through the wet terrain she had given up. Weed tickled her legs as she stepped through the dense bushes, large crooked roots got caught in her dress and the water sometimes became so deep as she ran through it she almost went completely under.

Penny had run until she could no longer see the ship in sight before slowing down to a more depressed walk. She had no idea how to get out of the large swamp or even have a clue as to which direction she could take. Still, she had marched forward, chin out with the strength of knowing that at least she was gone from the dreaded people that had stolen her.

_Creak._

Penny had never jumped so high in her life. With a startled shriek she turned around, thinking that whatever had made the noise was surely Medusa to come and drag her back. Instead, two large yellow eyes stared back at from the water. She stared back, back tense. They continued to stare at each other for a while, Penny unsure. Finally, when it felt like Penny would collapse from fear, the eyes narrowed. The movement made Penny jump, eyes wide as she stared at the eyes before, with what sounded like a waterfall crashing into water, a beast struck out of the water.

It was large, scaly, green, had warts bigger than her eyes and had a set of monstrous teeth that glinted in the moonlight. Its long jaws snapped at her, eliciting another scream of fear from the poor as she scrambled back, feet tripping over roots as she did so. She fell to the ground with a choked sob, thinking the monstrous creature would surely eat her. Instead, it stood over her with a cruel look, its eyes narrowed in delight as it prodded at her with its nose.

"Go away!" Penny had screamed, bravery coming to her as she crawled away, only right into another one. With another startled shriek she scrambled away on all fours, desperate to get away from them but a single swipe of one of their thick tails had her face down on the ground.

Rumbled grunts and hissing erupted from them and Penny had the feeling that they were laughing at her.

"Go away you overgrown lizards!" Penny hissed, raising her head to glare at the crocodiles.

Instead they just seemed to laugh harder as their thick necks shook and their rumbling increased. Then, to her surprise, the larger one reached down, his movements swift, and suddenly she felt her world turning. The oxygen left her lungs from shock, her legs bent awkwardly and bounced against her stomach and sides, her arms were dangling down and her dress had fallen down, nearly covering her face. And that was exactly where she was now, captured for the first time.

Penny gapped, head heavy as she faced the ground and dress folding awkwardly around her neck and nearly over her face. She felt her bottom lift higher, her legs bobbing up and down a bit before she got her bearings. With a loud yell, she kicked and punched, twisting and turning in the overgrown lizards grip.

"Put me down!" she demanded. "Put me down!"

Hearty rumbling erupted from the two; the second one not holding her even leaning close to get a good look at her. She tried to swipe at him but her arms couldn't reach. Again she felt her bottom lift higher. It caused her legs to nearly unbend and stretch out uncomfortably into a position where she couldn't kick out so easily. She whined again and only received cheerful chuckles at her plight.

The one holding her by the back of her underpants gave her a small jerk, bobbing her up and down in his grip. The clothing material stretched and pulled and fell back again in an uncomfortable way. She tried to wriggle out of them before realizing that her stockings kept them locked in place. With another huff, she looked as far up as she could and glared into the crocs yellow eyes.

Its eyes narrowed happily before it started moving, walking forward at an almost casual pace. The movements caused Penny back down each time she tried to reach up or turn her body. Her little figure was no match against the force of this beast and when she had finally looked down at the retreating background her stomach went cold.

"Teddy!" she screamed, voice so loud it actually startled the green monster into faltering. It gazed down at her, snout lifting her higher into the air as she continued to thrash out. "Teddy! Let me go! I need my teddy!"

The croc gave a loud whine, clearly agitated by the noise and gave a grunt at its partner. With an exasperated hiss it all but slithered away and returned with the stuffed bear in its mouth. It grunted at Penny, causing her to sigh in relief, her struggles ceasing as she tried to reach out for the bear. Instead, all she received was another rough jerk by her undergarments and they were once more on their way, Penny's exclamations picking up once more.

She had no idea where they were taking her but when a bright light began to shine through the dense trees and fog she tried to grasp at anything to pull her away from the tight grip. Too high up to reach anything Penny just stared forward, horrified as the broken ship finally came into view. The lights were on and Mr. Snoops was standing on the porch, a lantern in his hand as he peered out.

"They've got her!" Penny heard him yell.

The crocs strode towards the boat, Penny still swaying. "Put me down," Penny begged. "I don't wanna go back!"

Her pleas were ignored as the large brute of an animal carried her up and into the ship past a happily gesturing Snoops for them to follow. The warmth was nice and if Penny hadn't been in complete distress she would have taken notice but instead all she saw was the upside down figure of Medusa, her eyes narrowed in displeasure. The woman was in her nightgown and lacked any makeup. The look was honestly horrifying.

"Well done, Brutus," she crooned to the croc holding Penny. "And you too, Nero." So these beasts belonged to Penny's jailer?

"Put me down!" Penny yelled, struggling once more as the croc, now dubbed Brutus, came to a stop in front of his mistress. With a loud snort, Penny felt the grip on her pants leave and a second later she was flat on her back, sore and rubbing her head. "Stupid lizard," she mumbled, only to squeak in surprise as Medusa's cane poked at her chest before she could completely rise.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" Medusa sang. "A naughty little girl running away before she could find my precious diamond."

Penny glared, sniffling a little as she stared up at the commanding woman. "I just want to go home," she pleaded. "Please, I couldn't find it!"

Medusa tsked. "Now, Penny dear," her voice was sickly sweet as she prodded the poor girl with her cane, "we both know that you didn't try your hardest. You will find me the diamond tomorrow, won't you?" Penny opened her mouth, glare set and ready to tell the woman off but Medusa continued. "After all, we do want to go back to the orphanage, don't you? You want a mommy and daddy?"

"Y-yes," Penny mumbled. "But I couldn't find it! And it's scary down there! Please don't put me back!"

Medusa's face hardened as she leaned forward, figure dominating. "You _will _go back down and you will find me my diamond or you'll never go back to the orphanage again! Do you understand me?" Her voice was like acid and caused Penny to draw away, head bobbing up and down in a shaky nod. A sickly sweet smile appeared on the red head. "Very good then. Brutus, Nero? Take Penny to her room, and make sure she stays there."

"Wha-No! I can get there myself!" Penny said angrily, already trying to make a run for it.

She didn't want to be near those green beasts any longer! Even with a running start Penny only made it a few feet before the larger one, Brutus, charged with his snout reaching forward. His sharp teeth easily grasped at her clothes and it was with nothing more than raising his head was Penny swept off her feet, arms and legs dangling limply. Her undergarments were once more in Brutus's mouth, clutched tightly with those sharp teeth of his.

Both Medusa and Snoops gave amused laughs as the girl was marched forward, struggling the whole way. "Meet my dear pets," Medusa called to the retreating three. "Each time you escape dear Brutus and Nero will carry you back here, and I don't think you want that anymore, do you?"

Penny whined, curling in on herself as her bottom was given rough jerks with each bouncing step. At least the walk to her room was shorter than the walk through the bayou and Penny was easily carried into the room given to her on the second floor. The crocs strutted in like they owned the place and dropped Penny on her head. Nero dropped her teddy next to her with a disdainful snort before sauntering away with his brother in tow.

Penny gave a light sniffle as she rubbed at her head and clutched teddy as tight as she could. With a few more breathy sniffs she stood, legs wobbly as she staggered to her bed. With a soft cry she fell forward and clutched the blankets close, uncaring that her wet clothes were getting the sheets wet. She was asleep in minutes.

The weeks passed by and Penny was continually forced to search for Medusa's diamond. To both their dismay she couldn't find it. Penny continued to try and escape and each time she was brought back in the jaws of either Brutus or Nero. It was so easy to hide from both Snoops and Medusa but with the crocs they could swim easily through the water logged area, see perfectly in the dark and were too big to fight back. She had even tried staying in a tree and crawling from branch to branch but a good bash against the tree from Nero sent her falling into the water with a splash where she was easily scooped up.

Sometimes Penny would try and hide in her room or around the ship. She would always stay in cramped, tiny places but the problem was that Brutus and Nero could always sniff her out, and with no room to escape their narrow muzzles could always reach in and pull her out. Sometimes it became a game to them to drag Penny out of bed before she awoke and take her down to the deck where Medusa or Snoops was already waiting. They'd carry her to the tiny cavern and all but drop her into the tiny bucket and when she was pulled out again she barely had the time to glance at the sky before she was once more facing the ground, being hung by her undergarments.

Penny ended up being in the bayou for so long that Medusa had to eventually leave to maintain her shop and leave Snoops in charge. Penny had hoped that without their mistress Brutus and Nero would be a little less eager to capture her but with Medusa gone they seemed to just let it drag out. They enjoyed the chase and always brought her back to a laughing Snoops by the back of her dress or by the seat of her pants, both of which had holes.

"Put me down, Brutus!" Penny yelled, struggling madly as Brutus lumbered his way up into the ship, her eyes straining to stare past the gators lumbering body and out at the foggy swamp. She hated it when she was carried backwards.

As usual he ignored the upside down girl and waddled in, grip unrelenting. They walked in just in time to hear Snoops get off the phone. Medusa was apparently coming back and they had found out about the letters. Snoops, looking both flustered and tired, waved his hands tiredly.

"Just take her to bed, boys," he told them, only to yelp as Nero made a snap at his pudgy foot. No one told them what to do without repercussions. Still, Penny was once again taken up to her room, bouncing a bit and looking down, dejected. She barely noticed when they had entered her cage of a room until they dropped her to the ground. She landed in a heap, limbs splayed everywhere. With mocking chuckles the crocs turned tail and left.


End file.
